Railway-velocipede.



No.- 695.826. Patented Mar. I8, |902.

M. F. MCCURMICK. 'RAILWAY vELoclPEnE.

(Application led Aug. 16. 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patented Mar. I8, |902. M, F. MCCDRMICK.

RAILWAY VELOCIPEDE.

IApplicnton filed Aug, 16, 1901,)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNTTEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARION F. MCOORMICK, OF KNOX, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK E.DUMAS, OF KNOX, INDIANA.

RAILWAY-VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,826, dated March18, 1902. Application filed August 16, 1901. Serial No. 72,308. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

yBe it known that l, MARION F. MoCoRMIoK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Knox, in the county of Starke and State of Indiana,have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Velocipedes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway-velocipedes, and the object in view isto provide an attachment for ordinary safety-bicycles, whereby the samemay be equipped with mechanism adapting the bicycles to be propelledalong railways, one of the rails of which forms the surface over whichthe bicycle travels. The attachment operates to hold both wheels of thebicycle in alinement with each other and in engagement with the top ofthe rail, requiring no attention on the part of the rider. Theattachment when not needed may be readily detached from the bicycle,folded, and strapped or otherwise mounted upon the frame of the bicycle,so that it may be conveniently carried while propelling the machinealong ordinary roads.

A further object of the invention is to provide auxiliary arms carryingpilot and trailer wheels especially designed for holding the wheels ofthe bicycle in proper relation to the rail during a heavy side wind,which would otherwise have a tendency to derail the bicycle.

With the above and other objects in View, the nature of which willappear more fully as the description proceeds, the invention consists inthe novel construction, combination, and arrangement hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing abicycle mounted upon a rail with the attachment applied. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of a bicycle, showing the auxiliary folding arms, whichcarry the pilot and trailer wheels, the said view also showing themanner of carrying the attachment when not in use. Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetail perspective view of the main frame-bar, braces, cross-head, anddouble fork. Fig. is a detail sectional view through the cross-head.Fig. 5 is a sectional View 5o showing the manner of connecting the mainframebar with the frame of the bicycle.

Fig. 6 isY a detail sectional view of one of the clamps for securing thebraces to the axles of the bicycle. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view ofthe inner end of one of the braces. Fig. S is a detail perspective viewof the outer vertical fork of the attachment. Fig. 9 is a detail view ofone of the folding arms and grooved wheel carried thereby, showing thewheel in engagement with the rail.

Similar nu merals of reference designa-te corresponding parts in all thegures.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates an ordinary safety-bicyclecomprising the usual frame, the front and rear axles 2 and3,respectively, and the top run 4, forming a part of the machine-frame.

The attachment comprises, essentially, a double fork, or, in otherwords, the outer vertical fork 5 and the inner inclined fork 6, 7o whichforks are joined together rigidly by means of a connecting-bar 7, asclearly shown in Figs. l and 3. Mounted within the outer vertical fork 5is a supporting rubber-tired wheel S, and mounted within the inclinedfork 6 is an inclined guard-wheel 9, which is also provided with arubber tire. The wheel 8 stands vertically and forms the main supportfor the attachment and the bicycle to which the attachment is applied,said wheel 8o traveling on the railopposite that upon which the bicyclemoves. The guard-wheel 9 bears against the inner side of the head of therail and holds the wheel 8 in proper relation to the rail, while therubber tire on the inclined Wheel prevents the supporting-wheel 8 frombeing accidentally displaced or thrown off the rail.

The crown of the inclined fork 6 is extended in the form of a stem,which forms the 9o main frame-bar 10 of the attachment. Said bar istelescopic, as shown in Fig. l, so that it may be lengthened andshortened to properly position the several wheels with respect to therails, the outer section 10 being adapted to slide within the innersection 11 of said frame-bar, the two sections being rigidly held whenadjusted by means of a suitable clamp 12. The main frame-bar 10 l1 isconnected at its inner upper end to the top run Ltof the roo bicycle bymeans of a clip 13, which may be either in the form of a strap or hookencircling or partially encircling the bar 4 and connected with the mainframe-bar of the attachment by means of a clamping device 14, whichenables the parts to be uncoupled in removing the attachment.

In addition to the main frame-bar the attaehment comprises front andrear braces 15 and 16, respectively, each of which is of telescopicconstruction similar to but preferably smaller in size than the mainframe-bar 10 11. The braces are connected at their outer ends to across-head 17, which is composed of a pair of oppositely-located yokes18, the inner ends of which are overlapped upon the bar 10, as shown inFig. 4, and pivotally connected thereto by means of a common pivotbolt19. This construction enables the braces to be folded toward each otherinto parallel relation to the main frame-bar 10 11 for the purpose ofcarrying the attachment upon the frame of the machine, as shown in Fig.2, straps 2O being shown as the preferred means for securing theattachment to the frame of the bicycle, although any other means may beutilized. j

21 designates a brace connecting the crowns of the two forks for givingadditional strength to the attachment.

The inner end of each of the braces 15 and 16 is connected to the frontor rear axle of the machine, as the case may be, by means of a clamp 22,(illustrated in detail in Fig. 6,) in which the clamp is seen tocomprise a U- shaped body formed of spring material to provideoppositely-located yielding arms 23, the extremities of which areextended inward toward each other, as shown at 24, so as to engage theinner end of one of the braces.y The brace is pivotally connected withthe clamp by means of a bolt 25, provided with a thumbnut 26, by meansof which the brace may be securely clamped between the inbentextremities 24, the said extremities being provided with lips, 27, whichproject toward each other over the top of the brace, so as to preventsaid brace from swinging upward on its pivot and allowing the bicycle todrop over sidewise.

The clamp 22 is provided in its inner end with an opening 28 to fitover` the adjacent end of the axle of the bicycle. The clamp may besecured to the axle by means of the usual nut, or the opening 28 may bescrewthreaded, so that the clamp may be secured directly upon the axleafter the usual nut has been removed.

The inner extremity of .each'of the braces 15 and.16 is provided with anadjustable screw 29, adapted to impinge against one or the other of thearms 23 of the clamp for the purpose of adjusting the angle of the frontwheel of the bicycle, it being desirable to adjust said wheel so as togive the same a tendency to travel toward the inner side of the head ofthe rail, not suciently, however, to produce any binding or sliding eectwhich would interfere with the free running of the machine.

This tends to keep the steering Wheel in proper engagement with the railand prevents it from slipping off the outer side thereof. Each of thebraces 15 and 16 is provided with a notch 30 to receive the pivot-bolt25, thus enabling the braces to be quickly detached from the machinewithout the necessity of removing such bolt..

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated the employment of auxiliary front and rearfolding arms 31 and 32, respectively. These arms are mounted upon theextremities ot the front and rear axles of the machine and adapted to bemoved downward to the full-line position (shown in Fig. 2) or thrownupward to the dotted-line position of the same figure when not requiredin use. .Iournaled in the extremity of the front arm 31 is what I term apilot-wheel 33, which is grooved, as shown in Fig. 9, to fit the side ofthe head of the rail. The rear arm has journaled in its end portion whatI term a trailer-wheel 34, similar in all respects to the pilot-Wheel33, but traveling in rear of the driving-wheel of the machine, whereasthe pilot-wheel 33 moves in advance of the steering-wheel.

The pilot and trailer wheels are not essential to the invention, but areadapted to be brought into use as an auxiliary part of the device forguarding against derailment of the bicycle during the existence oflateralor side winds.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the attachment maybe readily applied to any ordinary safety-bicycle, adapting the same tobe propelled on a railway; further, that Ithe attachment may be readilyremoved from the machine and strapped to or otherwise connected with themachineframe, so that it may be transported while the machine is riddenon ordinary roads.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the fact that thesupportingwheel may be adjusted forward or backward with respect to thecenter of the bicycle for properly positioning the wheels of the bicycleand causing the latter to follow the rail. By employing the vertical andinclined supporting and guard wheels and providing the same with rubbertires friction is reduced to the minimum at that point and thesupporting-wheel is prevented from jumping o the rail.

It will be understood that the inventionis susceptible of variouschanges in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction whichmay accordingly be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An attachment for adapting bicycles to be propelled along railways,comprising a main Aframe-bar, means for coupling said bar at one end tothe frame of the bicycle, a double fork at the outer end of saidframe-bar,

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a vertical supporting-wheel mounted in one fork, an inclined guard-wheelmounted in the other fork and adapted to roll in contact with the innerside of the head of the rail, both of said wheels being equipped withrubber tires, and braces connecting said frame-bar with the frame of thebicycle.

2. The combination with a bicycle, of an attachment adapting the same tobe ridden on railways, said attachment comprising a main frame-bar,means for coupling said bar to the machine-frame, inclined and verticalforks at the outerend of said frame-bar, rubber-tired supporting andguard wheels mounted in said forks and adapted to roll in contact withone of the rails, a cross-head near the outer end of said frame-bar, andbraces connected to said cross-head and having provision for theirattachment to the frame of the bicycle.

3. The combination with a bicycle, of an attachment adapting the same tobe propelled along a railway, the attachment comprising a mainframe-bar, means for coupling said bar to the machine-frame, verticaland inclined forks at the outer end of said frame-bar, rubber-tiredsupporting and guard Wheels joufrnaled in said forks and adapted to rollin contact with one of the rails, a cross-head on the main frame-barconsisting of oppositely-extending yokes connected by a common pivotwith the main framebar, and braces interposed between said yokes and themachine-frame and detachably connected with the latter.

4. The combination with a bicycle, of an attachment adapting the same tobe ridden upon a railway, the attachment comprising a main frame-bar,means for coupling said bar to the machine-frame, a supporting-wheelcarried by the outer end of said bar, braces extending from the outerend of said bar inward, and spring-clamps for connecting the inner endsof the braces to the machineframe, each of said clamps comprising meansfor connecting the same to one of the axles of the bicycle, spring-armswith inwardlyprojecting lips for engaging the braces, and a combinedpivot and clamping-bolt connecting the clamp and braces.

5. The combination with a bicycle, of an attachment adapting the same tobe propelled along a railway, the attachment comprising a mainframe-bar, means for coupling said bar to the machine-frame, verticaland inclined rubber-tired wheels carried by the outer end of said armand adapted to roll in contact with one of the rails, braces connectingthe outer end of said arm with the machine-frame, and auxiliary foldingarms connected to the front and rear axles of the bicycle and providedwith grooved pilot and trailer wheels adapted to operate against therail in advance and in rear of the machinewheels.

6. The combination with a bicycle, of an attachment adapting the same tobe propelled along a railway, the attachment comprising a mainframe-bar, means for coupling said bar to the machine-frame, verticaland inclined forks at the outer end of said framebar, the vertical forkhaving its outer blade provided with a slotted horizontal extension, asupporting-wheel journaled in the outer fork with its axle adjustablymounted in said slotted extension, a guard-wheel journaled in theinclined fork, and braces interposed between the main frame-bar and theframe of the bicycle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARION F. MCCORMICK.

Witnesses:

LYMAN M. TANNEHILL, J oHN DAVIS.

